Community Reviews

Aside from the fact Matilda Is Missing is quite different from the books I usually read, I adored the subject and the way the story of one custody battle was told by a man very closely involved in another battle - that of his wife vs his son's ex-wife. His wife is a cracker of a character, who goes to extremes beyond what most people would but she loved her grandchildren so you could understand where she was coming from.

ALL of the characters are I feel sympathetic, bar one man perhaWhat I LOVED:

Aside from the fact Matilda Is Missing is quite different from the books I usually read, I adored the subject and the way the story of one custody battle was told by a man very closely involved in another battle - that of his wife vs his son's ex-wife. His wife is a cracker of a character, who goes to extremes beyond what most people would but she loved her grandchildren so you could understand where she was coming from.

ALL of the characters are I feel sympathetic, bar one man perhaps who we get hints about throughout the book but do not find the truth of right until the very end.

The voice of the novel was very easy and enjoyable to read.

The plot and the way it me told had me turning pages right into the night. It was a meaty and relevant subject to write about.

What I WISHED THERE WAS MORE OF:

In one word, closure!! I guess I'm a happy ever after girl and I'd have liked to have known what happened to the characters in the end. The story of the narrator and his wife's battle to see their grandchildren was loosely tied up but it was all very sudden and therefore maybe not realistic or satisfying (but that is MY opinion and many others probably disagree). The main story of the custody battle over Matilda doesn't reach a satisfying closure and although this annoyed me on one level, on another I think I understood why the author left it like this. It's a realistic story - I have no idea if it was based on an actual case or not but it very easily could be and the sad fact is, such custody battles are often never resolved to satisfy everyone....more

Softie and Garry are from two different worlds. She is an accomplished career woman from a middle class background and he grew up in foster care after a horrific childhood incident and takes life very much as he finds it. They were never really suited for one another, but Softie went against her better judgement and settled. Why? Because she was approaching 40 and desperately wanted a child. In hindsight she knows it was the wrong decision, yet at the time Garry was there and available. And likeSoftie and Garry are from two different worlds. She is an accomplished career woman from a middle class background and he grew up in foster care after a horrific childhood incident and takes life very much as he finds it. They were never really suited for one another, but Softie went against her better judgement and settled. Why? Because she was approaching 40 and desperately wanted a child. In hindsight she knows it was the wrong decision, yet at the time Garry was there and available. And like many women Softie believed that she just might be able to "fix" him.

This novel is told in quite an unusual way and as you start reading you wonder when you are actually going to come across what is described in the main blurb of the story. Told through the eyes of outsiders, it shows the whole situation from different angles and perspectives - which I thought actually worked really well. The main voice is that of a man in his sixties, who as a character I thought was absolutely spot on. You could imagine this man easily, right down to his old man wardrobe and what he has for dinner each night.

Matilda is missing delves into the horrible reality of the fractured families and how the courts deal with them. It shows there are never really any winners and that things are ultimately best left out of it altogether if possible. It also shows that judges in such cases are fallible too - they don't always get it right and when that happens the fallout can be tragic.

This book also explores the theme of the biological clock and how women are pressured by the medical profession, family, friends and their own biology to settle for just about anybody if it means you can have a baby by a certain age. Softie herself knows she is making the wrong choice but does it anyway, so strong is that time pressure.

Matilda is Missing deals with uncomfortable subject matter in such a way that is easy to read. The way the story is structured is suspenseful in that you are drawn into each different angle and ultimately want to know what really happened to Matilda. ...more

Caroline Overington is a fascinating writer - she has a great ability to show the reader an issue and then keep us in suspense over what we should think about the characters and I really enjoy her ability to write male voice which is believable. I struggled a little with this book as the two main characters Softie and Gary are so unlikeable and incompatible as a couple. Despite this fact (which they are both aware of) they decide to have a child - unsurprisingly the marriage falls apart and theyCaroline Overington is a fascinating writer - she has a great ability to show the reader an issue and then keep us in suspense over what we should think about the characters and I really enjoy her ability to write male voice which is believable. I struggled a little with this book as the two main characters Softie and Gary are so unlikeable and incompatible as a couple. Despite this fact (which they are both aware of) they decide to have a child - unsurprisingly the marriage falls apart and they head to the family courts fighting for Matilda. Both characters are unreliable witnesses and we clearly see how both sides can manipulate situations and appearances - seemingly without much regard for how Matilda will ultimately cope. There is a killer twist at the end which will make this a great story for any book group....more

3.5 starsCaroline Overington is a fabulous author. She writes about current social issues and keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. She has written some of my five star books for this year. However, I did feel that this one wasn't up there to be rated the same.

The story revolves around a bitter custody battle between Softie and Garry. The story is told from both points of view, but through taped recordings, which is very clever and I was surprised how well that actually worked.

Undeniably w3.5 starsCaroline Overington is a fabulous author. She writes about current social issues and keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. She has written some of my five star books for this year. However, I did feel that this one wasn't up there to be rated the same.

The story revolves around a bitter custody battle between Softie and Garry. The story is told from both points of view, but through taped recordings, which is very clever and I was surprised how well that actually worked.

Undeniably well written with a twist thrown in towards the end, even though this would not be one of my favourite books, it was still worth the read....more

I couldn't put this book down. Via counsellor's tapes(unlikely but effective!) we hear alternate first-hand accounts from each of the parents, Softie Monaghan and Garry Gary, as to how they came to be in court fighting for custody of their two year old daughter, Matilda. It’s left to Barry, a good-hearted, pragmatic Footscray working class bloke in his sixties, to work out how the hell the court subsequently got it all so wrong, and how to put things, if not right, slightly less disastrously.OveI couldn't put this book down. Via counsellor's tapes(unlikely but effective!) we hear alternate first-hand accounts from each of the parents, Softie Monaghan and Garry Gary, as to how they came to be in court fighting for custody of their two year old daughter, Matilda. It’s left to Barry, a good-hearted, pragmatic Footscray working class bloke in his sixties, to work out how the hell the court subsequently got it all so wrong, and how to put things, if not right, slightly less disastrously.Overington introduces all the confusing elements of background and complicated family history that make the job of family law courts so difficult. Neither partner is blameless and neither is beyond redemption. This is what makes their situation so sad, and also what makes it so impossible for the Family Law Court to get any kind of handle on it.The message for parents out there is clear: act in the best interests of your children, stay calm, and stay out of the Family Law Court if it’s at all possible. ...more

An example of one of those books where you're reading it, waiting for the plotline to kick in, and 300-odd pages later the book ends.

Whilst it was a good, easy read, I felt that the plotline could have been taken a lot further, a lot earlier. It also doesn't help that so many of the characters we're meant to sympathise with are so utterly awful.

its interesting read...an insite into a topic I know nothing about...and it makes you wonder how you come out the other side sane..very realistic writing...makes you feel like you are living it with them...

This is my first book from this author and I loved it. In fact I sat up until after midnight and read it in one sitting. The story just flowed from one chapter to the next and there never seemed to be a suitable moment to put the book down. The theme of the book is marriage breakups and how they affect all members of the extended family. The main characters' story is told as a series of taped conversations with the Family Court counsellor and they really show the worst side of two people fightinThis is my first book from this author and I loved it. In fact I sat up until after midnight and read it in one sitting. The story just flowed from one chapter to the next and there never seemed to be a suitable moment to put the book down. The theme of the book is marriage breakups and how they affect all members of the extended family. The main characters' story is told as a series of taped conversations with the Family Court counsellor and they really show the worst side of two people fighting over a child whom they both claim to love. The title is very meaningful because Matilda is missing from the dialogue for most of the book. I will certainly try more books from this author....more

Reading the blurb of the book compared to the book itself will prepare you for only half of the story , a snippet that doesn't get revealed till halfway through the novel. From the title and the synopsis , I had a whole different view of what the novel would be like and about and as I turned the first page , I would be in for a shock. The novel starts not with Gary, Softie and Matilda but in fact with an entirely different family named "the Harrisons". Husband and Wife , Pat and Barry Harrison.Reading the blurb of the book compared to the book itself will prepare you for only half of the story , a snippet that doesn't get revealed till halfway through the novel. From the title and the synopsis , I had a whole different view of what the novel would be like and about and as I turned the first page , I would be in for a shock. The novel starts not with Gary, Softie and Matilda but in fact with an entirely different family named "the Harrisons". Husband and Wife , Pat and Barry Harrison. The story begins with a struggle of their own , their youngest son Brian is getting married to a bartender named Nerida who is a single mother with a 4yr old son named Ethan. Pat, from the beginning has shown nothing but dislike for Nerida and it will soon come to bite her own the bum as Nerida falls pregnant not once but twice with Brian's children. Soon Pat becomes a doting grandmother to Ethan, Jett and Baxter . However, the happiness will be shortlived as Nerida is caught cheating on Brian and she is so mad at Brian for leaving her , that she refuses to let Pat see her grandchildren. What becomes as a Grandmother wanting to spend time with her grandchildren, will hit National news when Pat decides to go for the extreme. Meanwhile Barry, stuck in the middle visits an old Family Court Judge friend of his Frank who three weeks later passes and leaves Barry , a court case and files - Monaghan vs Hartshon . This case was about Gary, Softie and the little girl named Matilda and what started as a loving family ended up in a deadly, costly and ugly court battle over two year old Matilda. As the case goes along, we see that it soon becomes all about Gary and Softie rather than the most important thing Matilda. As we read Pat and Barry discovering more about the case, we start to see similarities and will discover the lengths a family or someone who we love and they love us will go to save one another . Something interesting that I picked up about the Cases is that and I guess it relates in reality too , is that most custody cases end up being about what the parents want and need, rather than the childs even though they are the most important thing in the world and the battle is for their safety and welfare.Another great read written by Caroline Overington :) and ...more

Garry and Softie were an unlikely couple from the start. Softie had a job at a national bank and owned her own flat in St Kilda, near the beach. Garry had drifted from job to job and worked driving taxi’s when they met one night at a ‘pop up restaurant’. Softie was getting to the stage where her biological clock was ticking and she didn’t have too many years left in which to have a baby. And Garry, well, he’d been married before, but too young and it didn’t work out. He thinks he’s ready for a fGarry and Softie were an unlikely couple from the start. Softie had a job at a national bank and owned her own flat in St Kilda, near the beach. Garry had drifted from job to job and worked driving taxi’s when they met one night at a ‘pop up restaurant’. Softie was getting to the stage where her biological clock was ticking and she didn’t have too many years left in which to have a baby. And Garry, well, he’d been married before, but too young and it didn’t work out. He thinks he’s ready for a family now. And a guy that’s ready for a family seems to be all that Softie needs.

So Softie gets pregnant but before the baby is even born, before they are even married, there are problems. Softie is embarrassed by Garry’s lack of class, by his loud and boorish ways and the way he treats a friend of hers who is gay. Garry on the other hand, barely notices anything wrong, except that whatever he does isn’t done the way that Softie likes it. Still, they get married when Softie is 8 months along and then Matilda is born.

Both Garry and Softie are doting parents, just in different ways. Softie has a book that she uses to set Matilda’s routines whereas Garry is more a winging it sort of parent. Despite the fact that they both love Matilda, it isn’t enough and Softie begins to withdraw, finally taking Matilda and leaving Garry. What happens next is a custody battle, a messy custody battle as Garry fights for access to Matilda and Softie fights to restrict it because Matilda is so young. They end up in Family Court and in front of a judge known for his sympathy towards fathers and the swing away for restricting their access to merely every second weekend.

Custody battles are a nasty business, stressful and upsetting for both parents and for the children. It’s the sort of issue where it’s hard not to take sides, even inadvertently. Garry and Softie’s story starts long before Matilda Is Missing opens and neither of them is our narrator. Instead that job falls to the school-friend of the judge who handed down the decision on Matilda’s custody hearing. The judge, Frank Brooks, having since passed away to cancer has entrusted all the case notes to his long time friend Barry, thinking that maybe, he made a mistake on this one. Through cassette tapes of Garry and Softie’s recorded sessions with a psychologist, we learn their story along with Barry.

Barry is a man in his 60′s, born and raised in Footscray and retired now, pottering around with his wife Pat. Their youngest son Brian has just found himself about to be divorced and cleverly woven in is a less public custody battle away from the Family Court and a less publicised issue. Barry and Pat have two grandchildren affected by this separation and a third that was their ex-daughter in laws’s child before she married their son who they loved as though he were their own blood grandchild. Pat’s overbearing attempts to see the children and interfere in the separation have seen their visits dwindle to nothing and through Barry and Pat, we see two very different approaches to what is a painful issue – the rights of grandparents to see their grandchildren during and after a painful separation where the parents are trying to figure things out.

Matilda Is Missing once again showcases Caroline Overington’s ability to slip into the voice of a character that is far different from herself. In I Came To Say Goodbye we had Med, also a 60-something Australian man, salt of the Earth, and now we have Barry, who is a kind and methodical man, bewildered by what is left to him by Frank but determined to get through it and get to the bottom of it. He doesn’t google the case like Pat does, and skip to the ending and what happens. He listens to the recordings in order, he reads the documents, he puts the pieces together himself. All the while he is hearing about Garry and Softie, their lives, their marriage, their daughter Matilda, he is also narrating the story going on in his and Pat’s life where Pat is fighting hard, trying all sorts of tricks to see their grandchildren and Barry is more a backseat, let Nerida and Brian sort it out first, then we’ll see about the kids, sort of approach.

In having Barry as our narrator, we see Garry and Softie as a whole, rather than being presented with one side of it. To be perfectly honest, neither of them are particularly likable people and the fact that their marriage turns into a train wreck isn’t surprising, given the reason they got married (particularly in Softie’s case) and also that they are extremely incompatible in pretty much every way. Their personal grievances with each other are irrelevant though, as the issue is Matilda and what is best for her. Often (probably mostly) what is best for children is lost in the drama that is custody battles and Family Court and the need to win there and this is highlighted so very starkly in this novel. Both Garry and Softie are somewhat obsessed with obtaining the outcome that best suits them personally, rather than looking at their young daughter and agreeing to work together for what would benefit her. Cutting a young child off from a father she loves isn’t beneficial, but nor is putting her with 2 parents on a 50/50 basis where one isn’t used to caring for her full time and when both have such different parenting ideas.

I read this book in about 3 or 4 hours and loved every page of it. The Australian characters, such as Barry and Pat (who quite frankly, reminds me a bit of my own mother-in-law except mine is Sicilian) resonate with me and the way in which the story is told is riveting. I lived for the chapters that dealt with Garry or Softie’s next therapy session, hearing their own words on how they found certain things was an excellent way of having the complete picture given to the reader. Each believe they are so firmly in the right and they should be the ‘winner’ of custody, but really in such an issue, there are no winners. Matilda, and all the children out there just like her, are the losers most of all. The issue of Barry and Pat and their grandchildren also stayed with me as I never think too much about what happens with other family members when there are messy and nasty relationship breakdowns. Grandparents play a very important role in their grandchildren’s lives and to be separated must be equally upsetting for both parties.

It’s not easy to highlight important social issues and wrap them up in a story that’s so readable without being a cliche but Caroline Overington has managed to do it once again, drawing on her background as a reporter on the Family Court. I can’t wait for her next novel – it’s going to be a long wait I think!...more

This year as you would have read in an earlier blog I am participating in the Australian Woman Writers Challenge. I noticed last year that up to then I really had not read many books by Australian woman and started too read them, and loved it. So this year with my reading there will be a definite effort in reading more by Aussie Women.

My first Aussie Writer of the year is Caroline Overington, I have read her work in the paper on and off so knew that I would like her style, and when I read the bThis year as you would have read in an earlier blog I am participating in the Australian Woman Writers Challenge. I noticed last year that up to then I really had not read many books by Australian woman and started too read them, and loved it. So this year with my reading there will be a definite effort in reading more by Aussie Women.

My first Aussie Writer of the year is Caroline Overington, I have read her work in the paper on and off so knew that I would like her style, and when I read the blurb on the back of the book I was definitely interested, here is what it says;

The premise is something that interests me given my gentleman friend is a single dad with a shared parenting agreement, one week at a time with him and his ex, it's a topic I am interested in and know a little about. Reading the blurb I assumed I knew what to expect.. I was wrong.

The narrator is a Barry a retired newspaper typesetter from Footscray, his childhood friend went on to become a Family Court Judge. He is given a challenge by his friend, to correct a mistake that he thinks he made. So becomes our journey of following court documents, listening to tapes with psychologists to get to know Garry and Softie and what happens.

It was difficult for me to warm to some of the characters, in this case I come from the "a father needs to be involved and should have joint custody" side of things. I get frustrated by what happens at the other house during the week scenario so in real world terms I knew what Softie was like because we deal with someone just like that in our life.

I thought that Barry was a wonderful character, he reminded me so much of my own grandfather so I felt even more linked to the story. I loved the way the story developed layer by layer as Barry got further involved and revealed more of the story. It has some surprising twists and an ending that.. Well I won't give anymore away but I loved it.

Careful.... I've tried to be obtuse but you may consider some of my comments borderline Spoilers!Once I got going on this I couldn't put it down. This is my first Caroline Overington novel and I did enjoy it! I wonder whether her other books are written with such a colloquial Australian 'voice'?I have to admit to not really liking Garry Gary OR Softie Monaghan very much, despite being able to relate to certain situations and emotions described throughout the book. I could empathise with both ofCareful.... I've tried to be obtuse but you may consider some of my comments borderline Spoilers!Once I got going on this I couldn't put it down. This is my first Caroline Overington novel and I did enjoy it! I wonder whether her other books are written with such a colloquial Australian 'voice'?I have to admit to not really liking Garry Gary OR Softie Monaghan very much, despite being able to relate to certain situations and emotions described throughout the book. I could empathise with both of them, Softie for not trusting Garry to do the right thing because he'd never been given a chance to show he could, and Garry for deciding to leave everything to Softie just to keep the peace. Softie is a self centred, calculating control freak, Garry is a lazy opportunist, a pipe dreamer. Instead of supporting each other and meeting somewhere in the middle, they don't communicate at all and make each other more miserable, Softie by continually trying to change Garry through criticising him, and Garry by thinking that her ranting was just women's nagging, instead of taking things on board and trying to better their relationship early on.The story is being told by a third party, we're hearing the story of Garry and Softie through the ears of Barry, a father of four grown children whose youngest son (Brian) has recently been divorced. Brians ex-wife Nerida has placed very tight restrictions on the access, especially for Barrys wife Pat, who dislikes Nerida and just wants to spend time with her grandchildren. I like the use of this storytelling tool. Barry is likeable and open-minded and his commentary lightens the emotional roller coaster we're hearing about through the therapist tapes. The reader feels his horror as he listens to Softies last revelations, and I started guessing early on that Rick wasn't the all round wholesome character that he appeared.The chain linking Barrys part in the storytelling was a tad weak, I thought ( but admittedly only afterwards when I had a chance to analyse it) Barry gets hold of the case and files because Frank the Judge wishes he'd done something different and wants Barry to write about it. I'm left wondering what he thought he could have done differently-the case didn't even get past the pre-hearing. Unless Frank completely bowed toSoftie's wishes she was never going to be content. If it wasn't the wild allegations it would be something else.

'Matilda is missing' is a book with a bogan central character and a sketchy resolution, but you don't have to be a bogan to enjoy it....more

I'm giving this two stars as I reserve one star for novels that I am unable to finish, but needless to say I did not enjoy this novel. I found it to be unnecessarily drawn out, the dialogue was incredibly irritating, neither central character had any endearing qualities, and the story was predictable. I read it for the book club I attend and I will be honest that it is not from a genre I would voluntarily read. The only saving grace was that it was very easy reading.

This book has an interesting premise, and a good twist at the end, but the middle drags on WAY too long. The mother was a completely unsympathetic character, and the characters that seemed most interesting (Barry, the judge, and even Garry) don't get fleshed out very well. Good in the beginning but really dragged in the middle -I finally gave up and skipped to the end.

From the moment I picked up 'Matilda is missing' I couldn't put it down. Great, great book. I loved the way it was written. Discovering the story at the same time as the person telling the story was very clever and added to the enjoyment of the book. The story was very engaging and really allowed you to feel the emotions of both parents. Wonderful, wonderful Australian author I can't wait to read more.

Caroline Overington is a fascinating writer - she has a great ability to show the reader an issue and then keep us in suspense over what we should think about the characters and I really enjoy her ability to write male voice which is believable. I struggled a little with this book as the two main characters Softie and Gary are so unlikeable and incompatible as a couple. Despite this fact (which they are both aware of) they decide to have a child - unsurprisingly the marriage falls apart and theyCaroline Overington is a fascinating writer - she has a great ability to show the reader an issue and then keep us in suspense over what we should think about the characters and I really enjoy her ability to write male voice which is believable. I struggled a little with this book as the two main characters Softie and Gary are so unlikeable and incompatible as a couple. Despite this fact (which they are both aware of) they decide to have a child - unsurprisingly the marriage falls apart and they head to the family courts fighting for Matilda. Both characters are unreliable witnesses and we clearly see how both sides can manipulate situations and appearances - seemingly without much regard for how Matilda will ultimately cope. There is a killer twist at the end which will make this a great story for any book group....more

Another great read from Caroline Overington, again written in such a quintessentially Australian voice and about a very 'real' situation, although I would have to say this was my least favourite of the three novels she's written so far, only because I had found the 'twist' towards the end to be slightly predictable and without quite the same impact as the endings of Ghost Child and, particularly, I Came to Say Goodbye. I appreciated the disparity between the lack of resolution in the Garry/SoftiAnother great read from Caroline Overington, again written in such a quintessentially Australian voice and about a very 'real' situation, although I would have to say this was my least favourite of the three novels she's written so far, only because I had found the 'twist' towards the end to be slightly predictable and without quite the same impact as the endings of Ghost Child and, particularly, I Came to Say Goodbye. I appreciated the disparity between the lack of resolution in the Garry/Softie storyline compared to the Barry & Pat Harrison storyline - it reinforced the reality of the topic of the difficulties faced by split families - but I could understand that it may not have been satisfying to readers who like resolution at the end of a book. I'm looking forward to what's to come next from Caroline Overington....more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.Not as good as I Came To Say Goodbye. Both very quick reads (possibly due to the enormous font size and double spacing).

What interested me in this book was how my impressions of the two main characters altered. Initially I felt Softie, although a bit odd, was ok, and I ended up feeling she was becoming unhinged. With Garry, I felt he was the typical 'bogun' as Softie calls him, insensitive, rude and possibly simple minded, only to feel by the end that he was a caring concerned parent who I had mNot as good as I Came To Say Goodbye. Both very quick reads (possibly due to the enormous font size and double spacing).

What interested me in this book was how my impressions of the two main characters altered. Initially I felt Softie, although a bit odd, was ok, and I ended up feeling she was becoming unhinged. With Garry, I felt he was the typical 'bogun' as Softie calls him, insensitive, rude and possibly simple minded, only to feel by the end that he was a caring concerned parent who I had misunderstood (due to Softie's descriptions of his behaviour).

Having read two books by this author I don't think I'll read any more. She's a bit like the poor man's Jodi Picoult....more

First of all, I really Iike the tone of Caroline's books, the conversational tone. It really gives you a connection to the story. Her first two books, I read in a couple of sittings, as I was lost in the story. This one, not so much. I didn't find the conclusion very strong, I wanted more. The similarities between the parallel lines were interesting, and I loved the Melbourne setting and landmarks. When families breakdown, grandparents can suddenly find themselves on the outer. Once, relied uponFirst of all, I really Iike the tone of Caroline's books, the conversational tone. It really gives you a connection to the story. Her first two books, I read in a couple of sittings, as I was lost in the story. This one, not so much. I didn't find the conclusion very strong, I wanted more. The similarities between the parallel lines were interesting, and I loved the Melbourne setting and landmarks. When families breakdown, grandparents can suddenly find themselves on the outer. Once, relied upon to help with babysitting, then suddenly, the grand kids are gone. The same can happen to dads, living with their child, to seeing them every second weekend. I just wanted a satisfying ending between Softie and Garry, because the lead up of the two flawed characters was intriguing. ...more

Good storyline - many years ago 2 children are abandoned by their mother and go into care (with the nuns in the sixties, scary stuff!). Fast forward to the present day and a retired man is bequeathed the files of a custody case in which his friend, the judge, believes he ruled wrongly. It turns out the abandoned boy is the father in the case and with several twists and turns the book comes to its difficult conclusion. Good so far. BUT, it just wasn't written all that well. It's the sort of storyGood storyline - many years ago 2 children are abandoned by their mother and go into care (with the nuns in the sixties, scary stuff!). Fast forward to the present day and a retired man is bequeathed the files of a custody case in which his friend, the judge, believes he ruled wrongly. It turns out the abandoned boy is the father in the case and with several twists and turns the book comes to its difficult conclusion. Good so far. BUT, it just wasn't written all that well. It's the sort of story a Jody Picoult fan might enjoy but Picoult's writing is so much better (and I'm not even much of a fan). I might read another of Caroline Overington's books to give her a fair go....more

This is written in such a way that it seems to take forever to actually get to the heart of the story, and when you do finally get there it is somewhat mediocre and then before you know it the book is finished and you're left thinking...ok well that was..well it just was...

This book is woeful. It is a gross misrepresentation of the family law process and how individuals involved in family breakdown behave.

While I could understand tweaking a few of the processes to make the story a better read, here it just makes the whole thing Di unrealistic and misleading to be dangerous.

The subject is one ripe for the picking for the basis of a good book but this way misses the point. I am worried about the readers who may believe it is accurate. The characters are inaccurateThis book is woeful. It is a gross misrepresentation of the family law process and how individuals involved in family breakdown behave.

While I could understand tweaking a few of the processes to make the story a better read, here it just makes the whole thing Di unrealistic and misleading to be dangerous.

The subject is one ripe for the picking for the basis of a good book but this way misses the point. I am worried about the readers who may believe it is accurate. The characters are inaccurate and it does a terrible disservice to them.

I really enjoyed the "Australian-ness" of it all. Pat and Barry are totally believable Aussie characters and a great representation of that just generation where you just made a decision and got on with it. Life wasn't about "being happy" it was about making the most of things.

The whole family court debate and deciding what or who is best for the child/ren is such a minefield and the suggested reading group questions are food for thought.

As soon as I started this book I was hooked, could not and did not want to put it down. Loved it from start to finish. Definately did not expect the ending. Don't want to give anything away but will say that it gets you thinking about these characters and wondering if they are hiding something or if they are just a little bit crazy. Great book and definately reccomend this one

At first I really loved this, loved the telling of the tale by another family and in comparison to his own families story. I wont give away the ending, I loved the twist. It it all rolled out to like a rushed ending. I got a bit bored towards the end and really didn't feel as sorry for Matilida as I should of, I was too busy hating both the main characters.

I didnt enjoy this book as much as Caroline Overington other books I have read. I found the story to be long and stretched, I guessed who the abuser was early on in the story, and I found the last few pages cramed in the twist and ending which was rushed, only 2 stars for me Im afraid :(

Caroline Overington is as always, easy to read. Certainly a topical subject with lots of insights into personality. Slightly disappointing in that the perpetrator was obvious from early in the plot. Not up to the standard to Ghost Child but a nice read.

She has worked for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, and is is currently a staff writer for The Weekend Australian Magazine.

Caroline is a two-time winner of the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism. She won her first Walkley for a series of articles about a literary fraud, and her second for a series about the AWB oil for foodCaroline Overington is an Australian author and journalist.

She has worked for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, and is is currently a staff writer for The Weekend Australian Magazine.

Caroline is a two-time winner of the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism. She won her first Walkley for a series of articles about a literary fraud, and her second for a series about the AWB oil for food scandal.

She is also a winner of the Sir Keith Murdoch prize for excellence in Journalism; and of the Blake Dawson Prize.

Caroline has published five books. Her first, Only in New York, was about working as a foreign correspondent in Manhattan.

Her second, Kickback, was about the UN oil for food scandal. It won the Blake Dawson Prize for Business Literature.

Her first novel, Ghost Child, is about a child murdered by his parents.

Her second, I Came To Say Goodbye, takes the form of a letter from a grandfather to a Supreme Court judge. It was shortlisted for both the Fiction Book of the Year, and overall Book of the Year, in the 2011 Australian Book Industry Awards.

Her latest novel, published in October 2011, is called Matilda is Missing. It is set in the Family Court, and it is about a couple's war over custody of their two year old daughter, Matilda.

Caroline's books are proudly published by Random House Australia.

Caroline is a mother of delightful, 11-year-old twins. She lives with her kids, her husband, a blue dog, and a lizard, in Bondi. ...more

“I see that both her parents are here. I'm pleased that they are, because I'd like to take the opportunity, early in what I fear will be a long and bitter battle, to tell them what I think of what they're doing to their child. I'm not spearking here about their fight for custody of her. I'm speaking here about their decision to get divorced. Let's not fool ourselves about what divorce is. Divorice is a failure of parenting. It does more damage to children than just About anything else that might happen to them in the years before they become adults. It takes from them the only things they hold dear. It breaks up their home. It destroys their sense of family. It removes them from the comfort of having one bed, in one safe, secure, familiar house, where they go to sleep every night of the week. It fills them with sadness and, probably, guilt. They can't help but think that they must somehow be to blame. It sets them up for a world in which nothing is certain and nobody can be trusted.”
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“Dr Bell clears his throat : "Matilda showed unambiguous excitement at the prospect of seeing her father and when the two were brought together for observation, her response was one of joy. There is genuine attachment between the two and it is difficult for me to conclue that Garry Gary Hartshorn poses any threat to his daughter, Matilda. On the contrary, it seems to me that Matilda is missing him.”
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